Description

Essentials about San Bernardino alle Ossa in brief

Just a stone’s throw from Milan Cathedral is the church of San Bernardino alle Ossa (Saint Bernard by the Bones). As the name suggests, bones are the church’s special feature – more specifically, the ossuary, where tens of thousands of human remains have found their final resting place.

The history and architecture of San Bernardino alle Ossa

In 1145 a hospital was built near the church of Santo Stefano Maggiore. The cemetery of the hospital quickly reached its capacity limit, so in 1210 a first ossuary was built on the site. In 1269 a church was added to it. In 1712 the church was destroyed in a fire and in 1754 it was replaced by a larger church dedicated to St. Bernard of Siena.

The interior of San Bernardino alle Ossa is octagonal and decorated in the Baroque style. The frescoes in the chapels of the church date back to the 16th-18th centuries. Of course, special attention is paid to the ossuary, whose entire walls are full of human skulls and bones. The also remarkable frescoes of the ossuary were created by Sebastiano Ricci in 1695.

Website

Unavailable.

Opening hours

Admission fees

Free.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Bus lines 54, 73 and N27: Stop Via Lara

Tram lines 12, 19 and 24: Stop Via Larga

By car:

The nearest parking garage is Garage Zeus.